The present invention relates to a container holder or an ashtray provided so as to be capable of appearing and disappearing in and out of a compartment, i.e. vehicle compartment.
As drawer devices provided so as to be capable of appearing and disappearing in and out of a vehicle compartment, generally there are container holders, ash trays, and the like. There is a type that is drawn out or housed by sliding, but also, there is a type that automatically appears and disappears in and out of the vehicle compartment by pressing a switch.
For example, in the case of a container holder that automatically appears and disappears in and out of a container by pressing a switch, when the switch is pressed, a drive motor which drives the container holder to move is driven a driving force is transmitted to the container holder via a power transmission device connected to the motor, and the container holder moves.
In such a container holder, when torque above a specified value is applied to the power transmission device during a period until the container holder moves to a specified position, such as when there is an obstacle on a movement track of the container holder, torque above necessary amount is prevented from being applied to the drive motor by that the driving force is not transmitted inside the power transmission device.
In other words, when the container holder stops during a period before moving to the specified position, if the switch is not pressed, the container holder comes to be left inside the vehicle compartment in a state of a mid-course movement. In this state, when the container is placed on the container holder, there is a possibility that the desired effect of the container holder can not be fully obtained, and safety is a concern.
The container holder 400 shown in FIG. 32 has semicircular holders 404 which hold containers placed on trays 402, and semicircular support arms 406 which are placed opposite to the holders 404 and hold containers together with the holders 404.
The support arm 406 is connected to a slider 410 via a linkage member 408, and this slider 410 is coupled by a screw to a drive shaft 414 of a motor 412 such that it is capable of movement following the axial direction of the drive shaft 414 by driving of the motor 412. By this, the support arm 406 rotates around a pin 415 via the linkage member 408 such that it opens and closes with respect to the holder 404.
By such a construction, when a container is placed on a tray 402, the bottom of the container comes to contact with a switch 416 which is exposed by a through-hole 402A formed on the tray 402 and the switch turns on, the motor 412 is driven to rotate forward, and the slider 410 moves following the axial direction of the drive shaft 414 such that the support arm 406 comes to close via the linkage member 408. Therefore, the container placed on the tray 402 is gripped between the support arm 406 and the holder 404 and is held in a stable state.
Also, when the container that was placed on the tray 402 is removed, the bottom of the container is separated from the switch 416, the switch is turned off, and the motor 412 is driven to rotate in reverse. By this, the slider moves following the axial direction of the drive shaft 414, and the support arm 406 is opened via the linkage member 408. Therefore, the support arm 406 does not become a an obstacle when the container is placed on the tray 402.
However, because left and right support arms 406 are simultaneously opened and closed by causing one slider 410 to move by the motor 412, for example, when the container is placed on the right tray 402 and the right support arm 406 is closed, the left support arm 406 is also closed. Also, when the container is placed on the left tray 402, the support arm 406 becomes a hindrance and it may not be possible to place the container on the tray 402.
Also, in the state in which the containers are placed on the left and right trays 402, even when the container is removed from the right tray 402, the support arm is not opened because there is a container placed in the left tray 402. Therefore, it is difficult to place the removed container back into the right tray 402.
Furthermore, in case of a container in which a constricted part is formed on the outer perimeter, for example a cola bottle (not illustrated), when upwardly removing the container which was placed on the tray 402, there is a possibility that the container can not be removed if the outer perimeter of the container is caught on the support arm 406 before the switch 416 turns off.
Also, when the bottom of the container has a concave, the bottom of the container may not come to contact with the switch 416 which is provided on the tray 402, and there is a concern that the support arm 406 will not close even though the container is placed on the tray 402.
Furthermore, when a container that was placed on a tray 402 moves up and down due to vibration during running of the vehicle, the state in which the container is in contact with the switch 416 can not be maintained and the switch 416 repeatedly turns on and off, and a state in which the motor 412 is repeatedly driven to rotate forward and backward each time is a concern.
In consideration of the above facts, the present invention provides a drawer device in which a state of a mid-course movement can be avoided automatically when torque above a specified value is applied to the power transmission device during a period until moving to a specified position.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a container holder that can securely hold a container placed on a tray, and insertion and removal of the container are made smoothly regardless of the shape of the container.
Furthermore, the present invention provide a container holder that can assuredly sense a container that is placed on a tray regardless of vibration during running of the vehicle.